Comments on: Learning curves: up and down, steep and shallowhttp://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237
Tue, 14 Aug 2018 21:18:46 +0000hourly1By: Chrishttp://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548410
Mon, 19 Mar 2018 14:25:55 +0000http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548410I always thought the Y-axis was "ignorance". On the other hand, I envisioned it as a steep concave up increasing graph, which doesn't make sense.

However, if the Y-axis were ignorance and the graph concave up decreasing, it would make sense to say "move down" the curve.

]]>By: 번하드http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548334
Sun, 18 Mar 2018 15:42:03 +0000http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548334Which should have been preponement, of course. Sorry for that, lack of caffeine. BTW, other national dialects of English have riches on offer, too. I hereby nominate "eye shopping" and "skinship", both made in Korea.
]]>By: 번하드http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548332
Sun, 18 Mar 2018 15:26:53 +0000http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548332@Rodger C:

Yes, you got my voice for the preposition of meetings, it's an overdue enrichment.

]]>By: outeasthttp://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548330
Sun, 18 Mar 2018 14:22:57 +0000http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548330References to steep vs gentle learning curves are commonplace in gaming reviews. In such contexts it's definitely about the speed at which you *have to* master skills in order to progress. That is, it's required by the learning context not dependent on the gamer's learning ability: a slower learner cannot take a more gentle slope, not can a fast learner bypass the training wheels phase. In extreme cases new skills/abilities have to be unlocked by progressing through missions/levels, making the learning curve even more independent of the learner.
]]>By: Rodger Chttp://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548297
Sat, 17 Mar 2018 16:22:24 +0000http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548297Maybe it's time for the anglosphere to generalize the Indo-English "prepone."
]]>By: Jerry Friedmanhttp://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548290
Sat, 17 Mar 2018 03:35:28 +0000http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548290Ray: @Andreas Johansson — what a great idea! to move a date right or left. I'll suggest this to my co-workers (though it might present a steep learning curve!)

As an extreme step, people could say "have the meeting sooner", or "have it later" or "put it off" or "postpone it". But I'm sometimes accused of being too literal.

]]>By: Terry Hunthttp://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548281
Fri, 16 Mar 2018 18:49:29 +0000http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548281Further to James Wimberley, there is (or was) a supposition in railway history circles that this terminology originated with some of the earliest rail lines to be converted from horse to steam power, in the coal fields of North-East England.

The main purpose of these lines was to convey coal from the mines down to the geographically lower staithes on nearby rivers and canals for onward transportation by barge, and the empty wagons back up to the mines, which were also the 'headquarters' of the companies concerned.

When the utility of steam-drawn trains became evident further lines, initially independent and not linked up, were built for multiple uses, and "up" and "down" came to mean "towards" and "away from" the headquarters of the rail company in question.

In time the separate lines became linked and developed into a network (as railway pioneer George Stephenson forsaw, stipulating that all his lines should be built to the same "standard" gauge as those first mine wagon ways), and the headquarters of most railway companies shifted to London, so people eventually came to speak of going up to, or coming down from, London even if train travel was not involved.

]]>By: Rodger Chttp://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548275
Fri, 16 Mar 2018 16:12:16 +0000http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548275When I was growing up just downriver from Huntington, WV, the business district of Huntington was "uptown." Later, coming down from the hills to West Huntington, you'd be greeted by a big sign, which annoyed my father, pointing up-river and reading "DOWNTOWN."
]]>By: Robert Corenhttp://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548274
Fri, 16 Mar 2018 14:59:04 +0000http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548274What @James Wimberley said makes sense to me.As a Northeastern US native, I always think of going "up" to the country and "down" to "town", and was taken aback when I started reading British novels and encountered the reverse (and in contexts where "town" always meant London, which was likely to be south of wherever the country house was).

And then there's being "sent down" from University, which seems to be a separate thing.

As to "uptown" and "downtown", I grew up in Manhattan and the Bronx, where "downtown" always means "south"; but I think in the general case it means "at or towards the central business district".

]]>By: Ralph Hickokhttp://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548268
Fri, 16 Mar 2018 13:02:37 +0000http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548268@Graham Katz:
Yes, I noticed that error. A letter appeared in response to that article which I assumed was going to correct the error, but it didn't.
]]>By: Philip Taylorhttp://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548260
Fri, 16 Mar 2018 11:22:54 +0000http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548260Nick B: "Up" to any ancient seat of learning; one is, after all, "sent down", no matter at which alma mater one formerly one studied …
]]>By: Nick Barneshttp://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548259
Fri, 16 Mar 2018 11:01:13 +0000http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548259With regard to learning curves: I agree with several other commenters in that my mental model has some sort of achievement or progress along the X axis, and some sort of effort along the Y axis. Very complex skills (such as emacs, or violin) tend to have steep curves in that new learners must put in a lot of effort, and experience some frustration and bafflement, to achieve basic results.
]]>By: Nick Barneshttp://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548257
Fri, 16 Mar 2018 10:54:58 +0000http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=37237#comment-1548257'Up', of course, means 'towards Cambridge'. 'Down' means 'away from Cambridge'. Ironic given the low elevations hereabouts.
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